Interhouse Debate

On Friday, April 1st, interhouse sports captains gathered their houses’ best Junior and Senior debaters for Brentwood’s annual Interhouse Debate Tournament. In the preliminary round, Juniors debated the resolution “Be it resolved that Canada and the United States should form one country” with Mack/Ellis and Rogers/Allard advancing to the final. Camille C, Mackenzie ‘18 and Will N, Ellis ‘18 opposed Jaylynn B, Allard ‘18 and John E, Rogers ‘18, debating “This house believes that Batman is superior to Superman.” Mack/Ellis and Rogers/Allard also advanced to the Senior Final, which took place in the McNeill Centre and was open to spectators. Both competitive houses were well represented, and were joined by enthusiastic audience members. The resolution for this final round was “This house believes that superheroes represent the best of what makes us human” with Wyatt T, Ellis ‘16 and Caitlin W, Mackenzie ‘16 supporting the proposition and David M, Rogers ‘17 and Delaney B, Allard ‘17 in opposition. Mr. Robert MacLean, emeritus Brentwood faculty member, and Tom Robinson, debate coach at Shawnigan Lake School, were guest judges for this round, declaring Rogers/Allard the winner of the debate. Rogers/Allard finished first overall in the event, with Mack/Ellis following in second, Privett/Hope taking third, and Alex/Whittall finishing in fourth place. While some students may wish that the results of the tournament were simply an April Fools’ prank, the event was an opportunity for students to gather and watch a fascinating round of debate, and enjoy the doughnuts and hot chocolate that were provided. Nicole C, Mackenzie ‘17